Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Occasionally I will get a recipe idea in my mind and drop everything else to create it. That’s what happened with this baked cauliflower mac and cheese. I looked up one of my favorite standard mac and cheese recipes and made little tweaks to make it low carb so that my girlfriend could enjoy it. I swapped the noodles for some cauliflower and the bread crumb topping for some pork rinds and I was good to go!

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This low carb baked cauliflower mac and cheese solves a problem that I consistently run into when attempting to eat lower carb. I can figure out breakfast and lunch no problem, but when it comes to dinner I struggle with the side dishes. I will make a delicious piece of meat or fish, but I can only pair that with regular old broccoli and Brussels sprouts for so long. This baked cauliflower mac and cheese will certainly take dinner time up a notch or two!

I know some people will say, "but do we really need to make EVERYTHING with cauliflower?” and no we don’t, but we do need to make baked cauliflower mac and cheese. Trying this was one of those moments where I had a thought like, “Is the healthier version even better?” Probably not, but if you put a creamy cheese sauce and pork rinds on anything it will be absolutely delicious. I can pretty much guarantee that. We loved pairing this baked cauliflower mac and cheese with a cut of meat or fish for dinner or just enjoying a big plate of it on its own. I will definitely be doubling this recipe for family gatherings in the future.

Let’s talk about getting this baked cauliflower mac and cheese onto your dinner table as quickly as possible! Simply take a head of cauliflower and chop it into bite size pieces. If your cauliflower is in florets, you will want to cut each floret into 3-4 pieces. Steam the cauliflower for about 15 minutes and then remove from the pot. Take the warm pot and place back over medium heat. Melt butter and mix in tapioca flour and a splash of the heavy cream. If you don’t have tapioca flour, you can use regular flour or just leave it out. Once a thick paste of the butter, flour and splash of cream forms, pour in the remainder of the cream and mix thoroughly. Turn off the heat and add the shredded cheddar cheese to the pot. Mix the steamed cauliflower into the cheese sauce and pour into a medium casserole dish. Top with extra cheese and pork rind crumble. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted, browning and bubbly. Remove and enjoy ASAP! You can save in the refrigerator right in the casserole dish and reheat in the oven when ready. Please find the full recipe down below and if you try it out, share your creation with me on Instagram!